Closing my eyes for a moment, I focused on my bond with Sigmir, easily finding the tie that connected us, our very own red string. Gently tugging on it, I could follow along and after leaving the vicinity of the gate, Rai joined me, having waited nearby to make sure nothing untoward happened.

“There doesn’t seem anyone interested in following you,” he confirmed my own perception, my tense nerves gradually relaxing. Now, instead of worrying about the guards and official trouble, I could start worrying about the press of people around me, making me feel as if I was about to get crushed.

“Indeed.” I nodded, trying to keep calm and not start making a scene. For a moment, I considered hiding in the shadows but given the clandestine nature of such actions, it would be easy to construe them as malicious, something to be on guard against. If I were to make a protective ward around a city, especially one with that amount of power, I would most certainly include protections against magical concealment and skullduggery.

The inside of the ward was suffused with power, less dense than the edge but pervasive, giving me a creepy sensation of being watched. Slipping away might be possible but at the same time, it might get me into deep trouble. Risking it, just to avoid discomfort, would be foolish.

Letting out a deep breath, I pushed forward, using agility and small size to slip through the crowd, following the bond with Sigmir.

“The others wanted to wait for us at the Adventurer's Guild.” Rai quietly told me, giving me a destination to go with the direction I was already heading in.

Continuing forwards, towards the Guild, the press of bodies slowly became too much for me. Not in a physical sense, the streets were wide enough, but in a spiritual sense. As if the world was slowly pressing in on me and I was getting crushed. Intellectually, I knew the feeling was utter nonsense, that even if I had no magic at my disposal, the strength of my body alone was sufficient to guarantee my safety from mere pedestrians and if taking my magic into account I would be able to annihilate the weaklings around me with a hard glare.

And yet, I was getting pushed and squeezed, my petite statue preventing me from getting the respect I deserved. If I had Sigmir’s imposing size, or even Adra’s gymnast’s physique, that alone, without awareness of my power, would assure me enough space in the crowd. But my power was internal, making me unremarkable, especially with the Cloak of Twilight blocking most of their perception.

Maybe that was the key, if I wanted to have space, I needed to make them feel my power. The idea was a slightly risky one, but compared to getting pushed and squeezed further, until I snapped and did something drastic, a controlled, limited measure might be more prudent.

Stopping for a moment, hearing an angry grumble from the person behind me who had to walk around, I closed my eyes and reached down into me. My magic, normally tightly controlled in my body, sprang to follow my will, a faint, cloak of Ice Astral Power flowing around me, forming a thin mist and lowering the temperature. But more importantly, the measure gave me a vessel to impress my will on my surroundings, to make the space mine.

I could feel the magic of the city-wide ward react, pushing inwards and tasting my magic, and I let it, not pushing back but allowing the ward to mingle into my magic in a gesture of good faith. I was in their house and wouldn’t disrespect whoever controlled the ward, but the space around me was now mine.

The effect on the people around me was far more pronounced than the faint aura of magic would account for, the aura of a being who had crossed the second Divide more than enough to assure me the space I needed, and more.

Rai, moving into the suddenly cleared space, let out a soft chuckle, following behind me like a canine shadow.

As I continued to move, the space ahead cleared, as if by magic. It allowed us to easily and quickly reach the Guild, and Sigmir who was waiting in front of it. The Guild’s building was a surprisingly wide, single-story building, located roughly a third up the mountain, right on the border between the middle-class areas higher up the mountain and the low-class area near the docks. There were quite a few people around, with a visible void in the crowd around the others. They didn’t need to spread their aura, their physique giving them enough of a presence to get the space they needed.

Along the way, I had noticed a couple of guards who gave me brief looks, but none intruded into my space or investigated too deeply. Maybe it was a courtesy afforded to the strong, or maybe they simply deemed the cost of annoying a powerful being that did nothing more than push aside a few pedestrians too high. Either way, I could get my way without trouble, happily stepping up to Sigmir.

Noticing the aura still lingering around me, I restrained my presence again, not wanting to stick out in their company. They restrained their aura, so I should do the same.

“Everything went smoothly?” Adra quietly asked, as Sigmir simply placed her hand on my shoulder, holding me close to her in an almost protective stance.

“I believe so.” I nodded, before glancing around. “What is our next step? Where would be the best place to inquire about transportation?” I asked, well aware of my lack of interpersonal skills. Most likely, I would silently remain in the background, watching as Adra conversed. Even my presence would be more due to a desire to remain in control than any actual benefit.

“We’ll talk to the Guild, in order to get a recommendation or introduction to the local Naga. If we want to get across the Mare Tempest, that’s our best bet.” Adra explained, to which I nodded.

“Please, go ahead.” I gestured towards the Guild’s door, following after her when she moved.

Inside, it was about what I had expected, only scaled up. Instead of a single clerk manning the counter, there were four of them, and they even had a queue. The size of the building was far too large to only hold the lobby we had entered and when I glimpsed past the counter, I could see a long hallway, likely lined with offices. More of an administrative complex than a service building.

Just like everyone else, we waited in line, not trying to push ahead using intimidation and after a few minutes of boredom, it was our turn. Or at least Adra’s turn. She handed over the letter from Weise, letting the Clerk take a look while she quietly explained our intent.

The Clerk, a female dwarf, gave a nod in response and asked Adra a few questions and inspected our Guild Cards. The questions were simple, basically just a confirmation of our identity, which the Clerk jotted down on a piece of paper. Once she was done, she gave Adra some directions to the Naga enclave and handed the page she had written on to Adra. The whole exchange didn’t take more than a minute or two, after which Adra stepped away from the counter, with the rest of us following behind. It must have looked a little weird, one person talking with four quiet followers, but that wasn’t my concern.

“Can I see that?” I asked Adra, holding my hand out for the form she had been given.

“Sure.” she grinned and handed it over. Quickly scanning it, I had to struggle to keep my poker face and not laugh out loud, as it was an official form to request transportation. Apparently, the Adventurers’ Guild had to provide such introductions often enough to set up a standard form, one that was mechanically or magically reproduced.

It simply gave our names, a rating of the Guild’s confidence in our trustworthiness and a rough description of our past travels. There were no details, merely an explanation that we came from the far north and that was it.

“Well, let’s go and find a ship,” I told Adra, nodding towards the door. I was curious if the details with these Naga would be as pleasant as those Sigmir and I have had, so long ago, right after I had come to this world.